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The Divine Child: love without measure
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Subject: The Divine Child: love without measure
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From: aq974@lafn.org (Bon Giovanni)
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Date: Fri, 21 Jul 1995 00:28:27 GMT
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Apparently-To: alt-hindu@relay1.uu.net
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From news@lafn.org Thu Jul 20 20: 23:50 1995
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Newsgroups: alt.hindu
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Organization: The Los Angeles Free-Net
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Reply-To: aq974@lafn.org (Bon Giovanni)
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Sender: news@lafn.org
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/| \ / /| \ /| | | | | \ /| /| \ /| |\ \ / |
|/ \ _____ | |______| | | | | |______|/ | |______| | | \ \ /| |
\ /____ / \ |/_______| | | | |/______/ |/_______| | | |\ \ / | |
\ /| | | | | | | | | \ \ | | | | | | \ \/ | |
/ \ _____|/ | | | | _| |_ | | \ \ | | | | | | \ / | |
\ /_____/ |/ |/ /_|/_/ |/ \ / |/ |/ |/ |/
For one who abstains, pleasure disappears, but the thirst for pleasures
persist. Even desire itself is gone when the self experiences the supreme
truth.
-Bhagavad Geetaa 2:59
==================================================================
THE DIVINE DISCOURSE OF BHAGAVAN SRI SATHYA SAI BABA
Given at the Summer Course in Indian Culture and Spirituality,
Brindavan Campus of the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, in
an eastern suburb of Bangalore, India on May 27, 1995 at 4:00pm
-----------------------------
NOTE: These are notes taken by those members of Sri Sathya Sai Youth
Group of Brampton, Ontario, CANADA, who were present at Brindavan
campus during the Summer Course 1995. A word-for-word translation
would be extremely long (about 5000 words) and so the lads opted for
notes. They say "Any errors are ours, not Swami's!" (members of
the Sri Sathya Sai Youth Group, Brampton, Ontario, CANADA)
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THE LOVE OF GOPIKAS AND GOPALAS
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
(Sai sings this poem)
eTTi vidyalu jagatini eruganaTTi,
pakshi jAtulu pashuvulu paramamaina niyamunu gUrchi
jIvinchi nErchiyunDa,
telivi kaligina manujunaku ee telivi lEdE.
Birds and animals, which do not have any kind of education and
intelligence, have learnt how to live in accordance with the
Divine Law. But man, who is endowed with so much cleverness,
does not have the sense to follow their example.
Students!
The prime responsibility of everyone is to take care of one's body. An
unhealthy body is a burden. A healthy body promotes healthy thoughts.
That is why ancient people considered health as wealth and evolved
systems for the upkeep of the body. Even the ancient Greeks considered
the body as a representation of the Universe and worshipped it.
In the body each organ cannot exist independently. Their unity alone
allows them to perform useful functions. When we understand this unity
in the body, we can understand the Indweller of the body. The ancients
said: dEho dEvAlayam, jIvo dEvo sanAtanah (the body is a temple and
the Indweller is the Eternal God). But today's youth think only of the
body and forget the Indweller. THE BODY IS FOR THE INDWELLER, NOT THE
INDWELLER FOR THE BODY. Water is for the fish, not the other way
around. Similarly, God doesn't need the body; but the body cannot
survive without the Divine within.
The body is a chariot. It should be maintained well. Most people today
concern themselves with decorating and painting this chariot and ignore
the Charioteer! Think of the body only as an instrument or a tool and
use it to know the Indweller.
[ excerpts from a STORY Swami told...]
Balarama & Krishna went to the forest with other gopalas (cowherd boys)
and cows. After walking some distance, Krishna played on His flute and
the boys started dancing and playing. Every day, the gopalas enjoyed
immensely in the company of Krishna, dancing and playing and losing
themselves in the melodious notes of His flute. This day, they were so
engrossed in His music that they forgot the cows. When they came to
their senses, the cows were not there.
The gopalas ran about in search of the cows and finally spotted them at
a distance. The cows were surrounded by a huge forest fire. Gopalas
shouted, "Krishna! Krishna! Krishna!". Balarama & Krishna ran there;
by then the fire had engulfed all of them. Gopalas were afraid for
their lives. Krishna called out to all the cows by name, one by one to
comfort them. The cows, upon hearing His voice, responded "Ambaaa,
Ambaaa". These cows had recognized the Sabda Brahma (Sound as a
manifestation of God) in spite of not having any knowledge,
intelligence, education, etc.
Krishna told gopalas, `Why fear when I am here? You all have walked
long distances and are tired. Just close your eyes and rest. And don't
open your eyes till I tell you.' The fire was very near them now and
the gopalas could feel the hot draft. Yet, without running away from
the fire, with all their faith in Krishna, they closed their eyes.
This was nothing new to the gopalas. They always obeyed Krishna. Not
even once did they ever disobey Him. That is why they lived in His
permanent protective fold.
In some time, gopalas felt cool, refreshing breeze and when asked to
open their eyes, they saw all their cows around them, safe and sound.
They saw and thought about it. Falling at the feet of Krishna and Rama,
they all said, `O Lord Narayana! O Beginning-less and Endless One! We
have seen Your leela and known You.' They stuck to His Feet.
But for how long? Only for a few minutes. After that, they started
addressing Krishna as "dear friend". They stopped saying "Lord" to Him!
Notice how bodily attachment is ready to spring on you every moment. In
every Avatar, people tend to consider Him human for a while, and Divine
for a while.
Krishna once decided to give the gopalas Atma Vidya (Knowledge of the
Self). It was rainy season. The blue sky was covered with dark clouds.
In some time, thunder and lightning began. Observing this, Krishna said,
"You can see the 3 GUNAS here. O Gopalas! God is omnipresent like the
blue, infinite sky. This divinity (sky) is covered by the dark clouds
of your ignorance -- Tamo Guna. Thunder (Rajo Guna) and lightning (Satva
Guna) accompany this ignorance. So you are all enmeshed in the 3 gunas
and cannot perceive God."
"The winds which brought these clouds will itself dispel them in some
time. Similarly, your ignorance itself, when turned into wisdom, will
dispel your darkness. Try to recognize the teachings given in this
manner by Nature. As you observe Nature, realize that your body is also
part of it. The body tells you about the Indweller. Body is the
Kaaryam (effect). Atma is the Kaaranam (cause). Recognize the cause
and don't be blinded by the effect. Similarly, World is the effect, and
God is the cause. As is your sight, so is the world. You cannot
recognize My reality till you have given up the thirst for body
consciousness. You call me "Gopala, Gopala" and experience Me as your
dear friend. But go beyond the body."
The gopalas went back and shared this wisdom happily with everyone.
Every day the gopalas used to enjoy themselves immensely in this
manner.
One day they all went very far into the forest with the cows. At
midday all the gopalas cried, "Hunger, O Krishna, hunger!". Krishna
said, "Why are you worried about hunger? Rama & I are with
you. Nearby there is a yaga being performed by some brahmins. Go
there and tell them that you're sent by Us; they'll feed you."
The gopalas went to the brahmins. The brahmins said, "Before the
completion of the yaga how can we feed you? After the yaga, after we
eat, after we feed all those who helped us, then we'll give you what is
left over." The gopalas waited and waited, but couldn't bear their
hunger any more. They returned to Krishna and said, "We told the
brahmins that even You and Balarama were hungry, but they did not
relent."
Krishna asked them tenderly, "My friends, who did you go to?" They
replied, "To the pandits, the brahmins". Krishna laughed and said, "O
innocent ones! It is the mother who knows the hunger of her child, not
the father! Go to the wives of these brahmins, who are cooking food for
the yaga right now. The brahmins are engrossed in following their
Karmas, and have no trace of bhakti. But their wives are different."
Gopalas: "But we have no energy to walk even a step, Krishna."
Krishna: "I will give you the energy. Go back there now."
Gopalas never disobeyed Krishna in anything, anyway. If He said
"walk", they walked. This total submission was the reason why they
never experienced sorrow in their lives and obtained the Bliss
of Krishna's company.
The gopalas went and saw the ladies cooking. These pure ladies had
heard much of Rama and Krishna and wanted to see them for long. But
their husbands had ridiculed Krishna as a "cowherd" and never allowed
the wives to visit Brindavanam.
Gopalas said, "Mothers! We are sent by Rama and Krishna. We are
hungry." The ladies replied, "Ah! The Lord Himself is here! Where is
He?" Gopalas said, "They are some distance from here. They are hungry
also." The ladies immediately collected ALL their food and hurried
towards Krishna. They didn't think of the yaga, of their husbands'
anger etc...nothing!
They saw Balarama reclining and playing on the flute. The notes of the
flute went through their hearts and awakened notes in their hearts.
They lost themselves in it and walked forward unmindful of their
bodies, as though in a daze. They fell at the feet of Balarama and
Krishna and poured out their devotion in tender words.
Meanwhile the pandits finished the yaga and noticed the absence of
their wives - and the food! They went searching and saw the gopalas
eating the food, being served by their wives. In anger, they rushed
there and started pulling and slapping the ladies. But the ladies did
not even realize that the husbands were there! They did not feel any
physical pain! This was because of their devotion, of their total
immersion in the Bliss of the Lord's proximity.
Soon, Krishna let His effulgence shine on the brahmins also. They
realized His reality and fell at His feet. "Indeed we are the greatest
sinners. We performed this yaga for You, Lord Vishnu, and when You
Yourself came to our door asking us for food, we laughed at You. We
daily offer you our food by chanting BRAHMAARPANAM but today You came
to us physically and we refused You our food! Can there be anyone more
unfortunate than us?" Krishna and Balarama consoled them and blessed
both the brahmins and their wives profusely. Then they left.
After they left, the gopalas were alone with Krishna. That is when He
revealed to them His reality as Lord Narayana. These gopalas had no
education, knowledge, penance etc., but only pure minds. Nothing else
is needed. Why is the mind impure? Only because of the feelings of
attachment - "I" and "Mine".
EVERYTHING BELONGS TO GOD: The way to get rid of attachment is to
develop this sense of sacrifice.
A small example. In your science courses, you go to labs to do
experiments. After your lab work you go to your homes without carrying
back the equipment with you. Just because you worked with the equipment
doesn't make it yours. You know that it belongs to the science
department. So also, the world is a lab. You can use and experience
what you want, but realize that you do not own anything.
A manager in a bank is the highest authority over millions of rupees in
that bank. But can he take even a single paisa home for his use? A
headmaster of the school is in charge of all the teachers, desks,
blackboards, chairs, charts, cupboards in the school. He can even have
a key to keep everything under lock. But if he is transferred to
another school tomorrow, all he can take with him are the clothes he is
wearing!
God gave you the world to use and experience, not to own. That is why
the Gita says responsibility is yours, duty is yours, but not the
right. No one has a right in this world, only responsibility. If you do
your responsibility, then right automatically follows.
A man held a Rs.100 currency note and thought, "This is mine". Then the
note laughed at him: "By evening time, I will have changed over 10
hands, you madman! How can I be yours?"
Experience this life well- use God's creation. But be careful to
do so along sacred lines. God's property must be used only for good
deeds. Your possessiveness is causing all your sorrow. If you think
that someone else is causing you sadness, that is your ignorance.
In Brindavanam, Krishna was always surrounded by the gopikas (cowherd
women) on one side and the gopalas on the other. Of these, the gopikas
were slightly mad! What kind of madness? Divine madness!! But today's
people attribute wrong intentions to the gopikas' Love. When Krishna
left Brindavanam for good, He was 5 years and 2 months old. Is it
possible then, for all these wrong stories to be true? The gopikas told
Krishna, "O Krishna! Your flute is most enchanting. Your words are
like life to us."
(Sai then crooned as if a gopi himself)
"O Krishna! Sing for us!
Take the essence of the Vedas,
Change it into the Sabda-Brahman,
Fill your flute with this sound,
And convey it to our hearts as music."
They thought, "How can we read all the Vedas? We are illiterate, and
women at that. Just summarize the essence of the Vedas and give it to
us". What Divine feelings! Is there anything worldly in this?
After Krishna left, the gopikas pined for Him for years and years, for
their entire lives. Krishna sent Uddhava to convey His message of
consolation to the gopikas. Uddhava told them, "Mothers! Krishna has
sent a message for you." Here, students should clearly understand the
pure and divine feelings of the gopikas. "One of you please take this
letter and read it", said Uddhava.
But the gopikas had no education. In those days women were not sent to
schools. Only one gopika knew a little bit of reading. When asked to
read it, she said, "Because of our separation from Him, our hearts are
burdened with infinite sorrow. When I set eyes on the words written by
our dear Krishna, all this sorrow will emerge as uncontrolled tears.
These tears may fall on the paper and smear the words. So I cannot do
it." What devotion they had!
Uddhava himself read the letter. "O Gopikas! I am in you, with you,
around you all the time. I am not separate from you. I am your very
own. My messenger, Uddhava, will tell you about Jnaana. Listen to
him and imbibe his teachings."
But the gopikas heard Uddhava's Jnana teachings and said, "Uddhava! We
cannot listen and absorb your words. The reason is this. We had only
one mind - it has gone to Mathura with Krishna. We want no wisdom;
nothing except Him." Uddhava realized their 'only one mind' indicated
the intense singleness of purpose and one-pointedness of the gopikas.
The gopikas sent heart-rending, devotion-filled messages back to
Krishna: "O Krishna! All Brindavanam is parched dry and barren
without You! Come back and make it green again."
The gopikas were actually perfected rishis. They had, a long time ago,
attained absolute control of their senses and total one-pointedness. To
cast accusations of character flaws on the gopikas is nothing short of
a crime. They had absolutely no trace of worldly desires. Uddhava
recognized this truth about the gopikas and when he returned to
Krishna, he went on extolling their virtues to Him without end.
[Swami concluded with a bhajan]
Edited from notes supplied me in Sai Seva by Sri Aroon Yusuf, to whom
I offer grateful pranams.
*+*
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Whatever a fine person does, so will others do; people effect behaviour
by example. -Bhagavad Gita 3:21
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